Testing for finish

[Dan M. Appel]

Well it finally happened. My three year old Boxer male decided he wanted the cookie my wife left sitting on a napkin on the teak dining table from Thailand which I bought my wife a few years ago. A couple of dozen claw marks later he had the cookie and, when my wife discovered what happened, she almost had his neck. (He had already lost his . . . or he would have lost those as well.) Anyway, I have got to figure out how to fix the table top and am not absolutely certain what the finish was that they used over in Thailand. Any ideas of how to test for the kind of finish before I start trying to repair this damage?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Dan

[Sal Giambruno]

Dan, if you really care about making a good repair and have limited experience with finishing, let me suggest you pick up a good book on finishing techniques which specifically addresses repair methods in detail.

One of my favorite books (as anyone who has read my posts on this board can attest to) is Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner, 2d ed. In this book, Flexner actually has a step-by-step approach to investigating the current finish, not to mention generous, detailed instructions on applying finishes and making repairs.

Generally, the nature of the current finish can be revealed by what solvent dissolves the cured finish, but the tests must be made in a specific order to avoid reaching the wrong conclusion. The problem of repairing is further compounded by complex vs. simple finishes. For example, if toning, shading, graining were done in some of the layers, it won't be a simple repair to make, so you'll really have to know what you're doing if you want good results - and even then, in some cases it may be next to impossible to repair the finish without refacing or changing the nature of the entire piece in order to help the repair blend with the rest. This is often the case if the original finish has been exposed to significant environmental stresses (physical wear, UV bleaching/darkening, oxidation, crackeling, etc) which are difficult or impossible to replicate with fidelity. But don't take my word as the final verdict - most of the members on this board have much more experience and knowledge about these things than I, and may have sager advice to offer.

I hope I haven't discouraged you - I just wanted to advise you to approach the problem with due care. It is do-able, I'm sure, but more than likely, it isn't going to be as easy as some advertisers or DIY shows might lead you to think.

[Dan M. Appel]

Thanks for the timely reply, Sal.

I am no professional, but have stripped and refinished a number of pieces through the years. I realize that matching color and grain on this may be a challenge, but I want to try. I have family coming for the holidays and do not have the funds right now to have it done professionally. So, I thought that I would test for the right finish, if I can figure out how to do so without doing further damage, and then lightly sand the area with 400 grit paper so that whatever I do will adhere, and then try to at least blend the scratches by getting some finish on them. It's a beautiful table, and it's a tragedy it happened, but I at least want to make it presentable and protect the wood in the area of the scratches.

I also realize that sometimes just knowing the right trick for a particular finish makes all of the difference in the world. I inherited an intricately carved Chinese blanket/camphor chest from my mother (made circa 1920) which her Schnauzer had badly scratched. (She had gotten old and I don't even think she was aware it was happening.) Anyway, I was in an antique shop that specialized in restorations/refinishing of old pieces talking with the owner and mentioned how much I would like to do something about those scratches. She said that the finish was probably shellac and that I should try gently wiping/rubbing the area with denatured alcohol. The results were miraculous!

I am not hoping for a miracle on this, but at least hope to restore it to at least a reflection if it's former glory.

Dan

[Rob Cunningham]

My guess would be some sort of lacquer finish, but test it, don't take my word for it. How deep are the scratches? Do they go into the wood or is just the finish scratched? If it's just the finish you might be able to buff out the scratches with some Abralon pads then polishing compound.

[Sal Giambruno]

Dan,

Check out Behlen's Qualasole . . . it looks like a no-brainer solution . . .

[Howard Acheson]

Here is where you go for the testing procedure to identify the type of finish on the table.

http://www.hardwoodlumberandmore.com/TipSheets/WhatIsThatFinish.html